


Reminiscing

by Ellenar_Ride



Series: Mending Links [6]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Major reflects on Minor, Mending Links 'Verse, and himself, and his childhood, and his wife - Freeform, really Major just sits and thinks A LOT, there's a reason this piece is titled Reminiscing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:28:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21786763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellenar_Ride/pseuds/Ellenar_Ride
Summary: The oddest part, though, is to see a young Hero of Time, post adventure, wandering around without Malon. The first time Major was nine, Malon had been a sweet but ultimately insignificant part of his quest. When he was sixteen and tripping over his own feet because his limbs were suddenly too long, he met the farm girl again. This time, they became friends, bonding over music and horses for the two weeks he stayed at Lon Lon Ranch.(Prompt: when we were young - nostalgia)
Series: Mending Links [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1545610
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	Reminiscing

When Major first arrived at the Homestead, everyone was confused and surprised. Sure, there were five Links in one place already, but now there were two Heroes of Time who clearly remembered the same adventure. It was only after their first quest ended that their memories diverged.

Major isn't stupid, nor is he unobservant. In the middle of Minor's battle with Ganondorf, the tone of his tale changes. The detail falters and disappears, and his voice goes wobbly when he tries to explain it. He's lying, and Major is almost certain he knows why. When he sees Minor's scar—the one and only time he ever gets a glimpse of it, and promptly pretends he didn't see anything when the boy starts panicking— _almost_ becomes _absolutely._ Minor lost his battle. He would have died if he hadn't appeared at the Homestead.

If Minor isn't ready to talk about it, Major won't push. Pressing him too soon will only make him clam up tighter—or at least that's how Major reacted when he was Minor's age. Watching his young counterpart navigate the confusing canvas of life is more fascinating than it has any right to be, so alike and yet so different to himself.

The oddest part, though, is to see a young Hero of Time, post adventure, wandering around without Malon. The first time Major was nine, Malon had been a sweet but ultimately insignificant part of his quest. When he was sixteen and tripping over his own feet because his limbs were suddenly too long, he met the farm girl again. This time, they became friends, bonding over music and horses for the two weeks he stayed at Lon Lon Ranch.

The second time Major was nine, he was too busy reeling with heartache and betrayal to notice much. He only snapped out of his daze when Malon approached him asking for help. He'd never intended to get attached, but when he accidentally let slip he had nowhere to go... Malon and her father had utterly refused to let him wander without a home, so they brought him to the ranch and made him welcome.

And Major had been happy to be a ranch-hand—far happier than he'd ever been to be a Hero. When he was twelve, though, his feet itched too much to stay in place, and he'd packed his bags, saddled Epona, and left for the woods with a promise to return soon. Instead, he fell. He fell, and he found Termina.

Being away from Malon hurt more than anything else. In hindsight, Major realized he'd loved her even then—a boyish love not yet tempered by harsh reality, but love nonetheless. In the moment, though, there'd been no way to know—a child raised by children and a tree? He'd had no way to know, no framework with which to rationalize his emotions. No, all he knew was being away from her was worse than being stabbed.

Major spend four hundred and twenty-one cycles trying to save Termina. One thousand, two hundred and sixty-three days. Almost three and a half years. He came out of the experience a very mature twelve-year-old, but still twelve. Time is odd in its flexibility; the mind can be younger than the body, but never older. It's something to do with chemicals in the blood and emotional maturity. Major doesn't care all that much, really.

Near the start of year three, Major thought he was never going to get it right. He thought he was going to die in Termina, alone, hurting, away from Malon. The last thought cut the deepest. He was so agonizingly sure he was going to die in a strange land to a strange foe, and it would be strangers who buried him in an unmarked grave and Malon would never know. He'd have broken his promise to her, abandoned her, and no-one would ever be able to tell her the truth.

In all honesty, though, Termina isn't the worst of his sins when it comes to his lovely wife. At least then it was _important;_ he was fulfilling his duty as the Hero, saving people who had no other hope, even if it didn't quite start out that way. This, though, here and now? His time in the Homestead, lounging about in Sav's home? For that, he has no excuse.

Doesn't have one, and doesn't want one. He _could_ say he's helping the other Links, aiding the recovery of so many hurting souls. He _could_ say he's ensuring the future safety of his homeland. He _could_ say he's enjoying another adventure and he'll go home when he's done, as he has so many times before. All of these statements are _true,_ but none of them feel like _the truth,_ and that's a fine but all-important distinction. He's here because some higher power decided this was a better life for him than on the ranch with his wife, and some restless, jagged, wounded thing deep inside him _agrees._

It's that agreement that feels like a betrayal. He's happier here, without his wife, than in their home together—this place, this role, fills some bleeding void in his chest. He's a petty, selfish creature—

And he's slipping. Again. He and Malon, they've had this discussion a thousand times. Well, it was about his wandering feet, but near enough the same conversation. _Don't feel bad for being happy, Link,_ she'd said, and kissed the corner of his mouth. _Don't put yourself down for living the way you need. You always come home to me—that's enough. I love you. I want you to be happy._

Major sighs and picks up his wedding ring, the chain dangling. "I miss you, Malon," he whispers, imagining she's right here with him. "I love you."

He brings the ring to his lips and kisses it softly, like he kisses Malon's cheek. As he lets it fall back to his chest, he can almost hear her laugh.

_I love you too, forest boy._

**Author's Note:**

> The perfect prompt for Major, right? I thought so. This piece was honestly a pain to write, because I couldn't get the tone just right and I really wanted to do Major justice. Like, he's just as angsty as the rest of them, but also he's in his thirties and he's a lot more mature than these kids, so I didn't want him just wallowing helplessly in misery. I wanted him to accept it and move on because there's nothing he can do about it, which I think actually shows in this version? Hopefully, anyway.
> 
> Sorry this piece took so long! Finals week happened and I was dying faster than the usual glacial pace humans always are.
> 
> (Also I'm _definitely_ gonna have to come back to Majora's Mask at some point. I love me some time-loop angst. :) ).


End file.
